MEPs say EU should ‘take back control’ of drug R&D

Group of 35 parliamentarians calls for increased data access and more flexible trial rules

Thirty-five MEPs have written to the European Commission calling on the EU to use its health legislation to “take back control” of pharmaceutical research.

Signatories including European Parliament research committee chair Cristian Bușoi said the Covid-19 pandemic showed that the EU needs to be able to effectively respond to challenges by itself. They expressed concern that it is “losing ground to other parts of the world when it comes to R&D and clinical trials”, threatening its medical autonomy.